Basketball champions crowned

Division III (8-9-year-old):

June 11, Saturday, 3 p.m.
Agnelli Pool & Spa - 0
Cortez Kat Charters – 18

Division II (10-11-year-old):

June 11, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Beach Bistro - 24
Ross Built Construction – 30

Division I (12-13-year-old):

June 11, Saturday, 11 a.m.
A Paradise Realty - 36
Walter & Associates – 41

Premier League (14-17-year-old):

June 11, Saturday, 10 a.m.
Island Sun – 47
LaPensee Plumbing – 56

Adult co-ed kickball tournament:

Round one playoff:

Jessie's Island Store - 1
Slim's Place - 0

Ross Built Construction - 8
Beach to Bay Construction - 4

Championship game:

Jessie's Island Store - 1 (Champs)
Ross Built Construction - 0

 

Your place or mine?

As temperatures heat up, you may be wondering how to continue exercising in the Florida summer. With the tourist season winding down, it's actually a great time to start an exercise program.

I'll never forget my defining moment after moving here. I woke up to the sound of a gunshot and thought for sure someone was dead. I groggily stumbled over to Bayfront Park at the northern end of the Island and saw several hundred people lurching forward as a 5K race began.

As runners came back to the shelter to recover, I asked several, "How do you run outside in Florida summers?" I received many helpful answers but the common theme was, "Do it at sunrise or soon after." That advice served me better than I imagined.

I began running the tiny but mighty trails along Bean Point. Although I'd run races before having children, I had slowed down to only walking while my children were young. It never occurred to me to start running again until that moment. It would take another year of running trails alone before I had the guts to show up at a 5K (3.1 miles) race to compete.

Training on your own can work. But many people gravitate toward a gym to find resources and motivation. Taking it inside is another way to keep exercising.

Hiring a personal trainer can help you get started. You can hire one at a gym where you're already a member. Another option is personal-hire, when trainers come to your home bringing their own equipment, using yours, or a combination. A good trainer will design exercises using what you already have so you don't have to invest a fortune in buying new gadgets. The third option is going to the trainer's home where you'll find equipment similar to a gym.

Depending on the gym, the trainer may have to give the gym anywhere from 30 to 70 percent of what you pay. Say you are paying a trainer at a gym $70 an hour. The trainer may only get about $25 of that. So if a trainer comes to your home, you could get almost three sessions for the price of one by paying the trainer directly. I know personal-hire trainers in Miami who get up to $100 an hour. Bottom line: you have much more control over price and rates by dealing with trainers directly.

The advantages of a trainer at a gym are 1)You may see how the trainer works out with clients before you hire him/her. 2)Witnesses. This works both for you and the trainer. 3)If a trainer works at a gym, there is an unspoken agreement that the trainer meets the gym's standards.

However, today's national certifications ensure some degree of uniformity and standards. Some gyms don't require certifications or do their own crash courses. Be sure to ask about certifications and the trainer's athletic accomplishments, past and present.

I've worked out with coaches/trainers since high school. Personally, if I'm paying $70/hour, I don't want to talk about the weather. I want to learn techniques and get feedback on form. One of the most surprising things I learned in my certification training is that many members do come to a gym to socialize. Part of my initial consultation with a client is determining if they are all business or want the social interaction as well.

Many successful clients increase their sessions per week because they enjoy the motivation, humor and fun that go beyond doing 20 crunches. The interaction between trainer and client can make the time pass quickly. Before you know it, the hour is up, and the challenging exercises are overshadowed by a sense of accomplishment, and dare, I say fun?

As I tell clients, "My goal is that you do this on your own." But exercising with a partner or group can be more fun. Seventy dollars an hour is cheaper than surgery, medicine and the complications of remaining inactive.

Another advantage of personal-hire is issues are between you and your trainer. There's more flexibility negotiating programs and prices. As a former investigative reporter, I covered several health clubs going out of business. Laws have improved, and consumers are better protected now.

You can follow Island resident Ellen Jaffe Jones on her Facebook page and keep up with her just released book:,"Eat Vegan on $4 a Day," or her website: www.vegcoach.com. She is also a nationally certified personal trainer and running coach. For training in a gym or private hire, contact Ellen at ejones@vegcoach.com or 941-704-1025.